‘We can always do better, but I’m still very happy’: young event rider impresses at Paris Olympics

Switzerland’s Robin Godel produced a wonderfully consistent performance with Grandeur De Lully CH during their Olympic eventing dressage test at the Paris Games just before the lunch break (27 July).

The 25-year-old and Jean-Jacques Fuenfschilling’s 16-year-old often score in the 20s in the first phase and today was no different, with the pair scoring 29.1 to slot into fifth at this stage.

“I’m very pleased – he was super-good. He can be a bit spooky and looking around, which we saw before our centre line at the start, but then inside the arena he was more with me,” said Robin, who is competing in his seventh senior championship and second Olympic Games. “There was still a bit of tension, but my goal was to score under 30 – for sure, we can always do better, but I’m still very happy with how it went.”

Germany’s Christoph Wahler was on track to finish up among the leaders aboard the striking grey Carjatan S when the 15-year-old gelding became tense during the medium walk – where they were awarded four, one and two from the judges – which then affected the strike off into counter canter as well, dropping his score to an eventual 29.4 to sit in sixth at this stage of the competition.

“Coming into the arena he felt seriously good. I had the feeling he was absolutely with me. He was waiting for me to tell him what to do, and the first part of the trot work and also the halt and the rein back, I had the feeling that everything was going to plan, and finally everything is coming together,” explained Christoph of his performance with Carjatan S, with whom he won team gold and team silver at the 2022 World Championships and 2023 European Championships respectively.

“Then he started off very well in the extended walk – I had the feeling he was totally relaxed – but just with that little turn to the medium walk, I sort of lost his attention for a couple of seconds, and then he just wanted to go into cross-country mode. But then, bless him, once I was striding into canter, he came back and he let me ride him as if nothing happened and he was totally with me again.”

The ground jury of Xavier Le Sauce (FRA) at E, Christina Klingspor (SWE) at C and Robert Stevenson (USA) at M, were keen to reward Carjatan S for the mostly good quality work they produced during their Olympic eventing dressage test, including two nines and an eight for their mid-test halt.

“There’s nothing I can do and you can’t change it anyway,” said Christoph of the mid-test blip. “I’ve known this horse for such a long time now, and he’s such a good partner to me. I think there’s no reason to be to be sad or ashamed about what we did. Our mark of 29 is still reasonably okay. It’s not what we wished for, but we have to take it as it is.”

• To stay up-to-date with all the breaking news throughout the Olympic Games, Royal International Horse Show and more, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You might also be interested in: